Golden Cathedral in Neon Canyon

Okay.  After a couple weekends staying fairly close to home, we decided to go balls-deep and head all the way out to the Hole-in-the-Rock road of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.  It was definitely a haul (about 4.5 hour driving,) but it was worth it to explore some really wild terrain.

We busted out after work Saturday evening and drove south.  The paved part of SR 12 and 24 are unbelievably gorgeous -- they've got to be some of the most beautiful roads in the world.  You swerve through white checkerboard mesas, aspen forests, and soaring red cliffs.  Unfortunately, Hole-in-the-Rock road is a different story.  Suddenly you're confronted with a brutal, never-ending washboard of a road.  We're talking an hour or two of brain-rattling, car-busting, insanity-inducing torture.  Let 20 psi out of your tires and hold on.

But ... it's worth it.

Golden Cathedral

Our first day out, we hiked to the Golden Cathedral of Neon Canyon.  The Cathedral is a huge pour-off from upper Neon Canyon, where water has carved three distinct pothole arches.  When the sun is just right, beams of light shine through the arches.  There's also a technical route to the Cathedral, so you might see people rappelling through the holes!  The entire hike is 9.2 miles round trip.  It's definitely more of a 'route' than a defined trail, so a good map and navigational skills help a lot.  It's also a good idea to swing by the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center (755 West Main Street) to get the latest on road and water conditions.

along the rim of Fence Canyon

blooming prickly pear

To get to the trailhead, drive 17.2 miles down Hole-in-the-Rock Road, turn east at a sign that says "Egypt," then drove another 9.9 miles to the trailhead.  A high-clearance vehicle definitely comes in handy on the last stretch.  From the trailhead, you start the hike by descending off the mesa.  Soon, you'll meet the beginning of Fence Canyon, so hike east along the north rim.  There are a bunch of cairns when you start, but they're just haphazardly piled up by random people.  Follow the gist of their path, but take them all with a grain of salt!

After hiking along the rim of Fence Canyon for about 3.5 miles, the trail drops into the canyon.  Get ready for a totally different world!  You go from vast sandstone vistas to a lush green world full of cottonwoods and willows.  Soon, you'll hit the confluence of Fence Canyon and the Escalante River.  You'll definitely be wading in water, so it's a good idea to check the flow levels before you head in.  We're having another dry year (only 0.51 cfs!,) so the river was only ankle-deep and crystal clear.  No problem.

hiking in the Escalante River

crystal clear water

There's some nutty rock art along this stretch of the Escalante River.  I've never seen anything like it before -- it looks like two guys boxing.  The horses tell me it has to be historic (they were introduce to North America by the Spanish,) but other than that, I have no idea.  Crazy.

WTF?

After hiking along the Escalante River for about one mile, you'll see Neon Canyon coming in on your left.  It's the first canyon you'll see after leaving Fence Canyon, and there's a huge dead cottonwood tree at the mouth.  The canyon itself is a gorgeous vibrant orange, offset by brilliant green foliage -- maybe that's why it's called Neon Canyon?  Hike up-canyon for about 0.25 miles and you'll reach the Golden Cathedral.  Ta-da!

Neon Canyon

Green River Daily

The wedding party extravaganza continues!  After a boozy BBQ Sunday night, a bunch of us woke up Monday to raft the Green River Daily.  The Green River Daily is a fun, splashy 9-mile section of river just north of town.  In general, the rapids are Class II+, although during spring run-off (flows greater than 8500 cfs) it can get pretty wild.  (Check water levels here.)  This weekend the river was at 10,200 cfs , which is definitely the highest I've ever run it!  Fun, but a little nuts.

the mighty armada

This section of river takes you through towering gray walls, past old mining cabins and some really cool rock art.  You put in at Nefertiti Rapid and immediately encounter an easy rapid -- just run it straight down the middle.  After that, relax for four miles of flat water and lazy floating.  This flatwater stretch ends at Butler Wash, and from that point on the rapids come in quick succession.  After Butler comes Sand Knoll, followed by Stone House Rapid. Stone House Rapid has large boulders to negotiate. They are easy, but be ready for a little maneuvering -- typically you want to run in the center between the boulders.  Finish up by running Short Canyon Rapid and Swasey's Rapid.  The takeout is the obvious big boat ramp on the left below this final rapid.

To get to the Green River daily, start in the town of Green River.  Take Hasting Road, on the east side of town, and drive about 9 miles north to the takeout at Swasey's boat ramp.  There's a great sandy beach here with picnic tables and cottonwood trees.  Leave a car or a bike here.  Drive another 9 miles up the sandy dirt road to Nefertit Rapid, where you'll start your float.

map credit:  utah.com

Klonzo Mtb. Trails

We just hit the mountain bike trail jackpot!  After all the running around and planning of getting married last week, we were in the mood to take it easy and stay close to home.  Jordan had been hearing good things about the Klonzo Trail near Moab, so we drove an hour south to the trail head to check it out.

It ended up being the perfect spring day: 70 degrees, a sky was filled with puffy white clouds, and blooming desert flowers.  And the trails were incredible!  It was a totally different kind of Moab riding.  Moab trails tend to be technical and rocky (Slickrock, anyone?), but my favorite rides tend to be flowy and smooth like the volcanic tuft out in Fruita, CO.  Klonzo was the best of both worlds:  we had the red-rock desert of Moab with the flow trails of Fruita.  Awesome.

spiny hopsage

Like all the best trail systems, the Klonzo Trails make several concentric loop trails.  The seven trails of Klonzo are Boondocks, Borderline, Dunestone, Cross Canyon, Secret Passage, Snippet, and Wahoo.  Everything is ridiculously well marked -- there are signs at every intersection complete with 'you are here' markers.  You can piece the trails together however you want for a variety of riding experiences.

For the most part, these trails are smooth and flowy.  They're perfect for early-intermediate riders.  There are couple steep, tight spots and short climbs that might make true beginners nervous, but for the most part it's totally manageable.  Adrenaline junkies might be a little bored, but even more expert riders could enjoy these trails by riding faster and hammering out all the loops in a solid 12-mile ride.

whipple's fishhook

crazy turquoise of the Brushy Basin Member

To get to the Klonzo trailhead, drive along Highway 191 18 miles south of I-70 or about 10 miles north of Moab.  You'll see a sign that says "Willow Springs Road."  Turn here.  After about 1.4 miles, turn left to cross Courthouse Wash, and at mile 2.0 you'll go past the Soverign Trail parking area.  At mile 2.7, turn left off Willow Springs Road onto a small doubletrack.  100 feet later, park and begin your ride.

longnose leopard lizard

map credit:  blm.gov

Capitol Reef Elopement Extravaganza!

We eloped!  I guess that doesn't really count as an 'adventure,' but we did putz around Capitol Reef National Park, which almost counts ... right?  Yay!

I love Capitol Reef.  It's gorgeous (where else can you find blooming orchards in front of red cliffs?) and waaaay underrated.  I have no idea why it isn't as popular as some of Utah's other national parks, but I guess that's a good thing.  Also, it's definitely a cheeseball nostalgic place for Jordan and I -- we've spent a lot of weekends down there and it's where we had our first "What if we got married one day?" conversation.  We're still stoked to have a big family party this July back in Illinois, but it seemed right to have our actual ceremony out here.

I guess I'm failing at making this sound like a travel adventure, so let me try again:  We busted out for a three-day weekend at Capitol Reef and stayed at the Red River Ranch in Teasdale, UT.  The RRR is just outside the park, and it was definitely a swankier alternative to camping!  We stayed in the Saratoga Room, which had a little fireplace, a back porch overlooking an orchard (complete with a pony!), and a big new hot tub. The staff was really helpful and down-to-earth -- they totally understood what we wanted our wedding to be like and helped us make it happen.

We got married on May 13 in the park with just us, the officient, and our photographer (Gaylene Erwin.)  It was perfect.  :)  

Afterwards we went out to dinner at Cafe Diablo, which is also just down the road from the park in Torrey, UT.  Cafe Diablo is totally unexpected -- it's a Zagat-rated restaurant in the middle of rural Utah that specializes in fresh, upscale southwestern cuisine.  We went all out with trout, lamb, rattlesnake cakes (!?!), and homemade tarts, washed down with loads of margaritas.

Great weekend, great wedding.  Pretty excited to be married to the best guy in the entire world.  :)


from Walt's Witman's "Song of the Open Road"

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me, 
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose. 
Henceforth I ask not good fortune, I myself am good fortune, 
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing, 
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms, 
Strong and content, I travel the open road.

From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines,
Going where I list, my own master total and absolute,
Listening to others, considering well what they say,
Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating,
Gently, but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me.

The efflux of the soul is happiness, here is happiness,

I think it pervades the open air, waiting at all times,

Now it flows unto us, we are rightly charged.

I do not offer the old smooth prizes,

But offer rough new prizes,

These are the days that must happen to you:

You shall not heap up what is called riches,

You shall scatter with lavish hand all that you earn or achieve.

However sweet the laid-up stores,

However convenient the dwellings,

You shall not remain there.

However sheltered the port,

And however calm the waters,

You shall not anchor there.

However welcome the hospitality that welcomes you

You are permitted to receive it but a little while

Afoot and lighthearted, take to the open road,

Healthy, free, the world before you,

The long brown path before you,

leading wherever you choose.

Say only to one another:

Camerado, I give you my hand!

I give you my love, more precious than money,

I give you myself before preaching or law:

Will you give me yourself?

Will you come travel with me?

Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?

Diana's Yurt

Heyo!  Our friend Diana lives up in Ridgway, CO where she owns a beautiful hunk of property overlooking the Sneffels Range. For years she's been dreaming about constructing a yurt, and this weekend we finally helped her build it.

View from the front porch.  Not too bad, eh?

We have two yurts at Goblin Valley that I helped get going, but this was waaaay more hands on!  Diana and her boyfriend Jerry build the foundation and porch last fall.  They finished up the subfloor this spring and were ready for the 'grand erection' -- setting up the lattice, roof, and canvas.  The weather wasn't cooperating and we were biting our nails watching a big storm roll in, but we had enough breaks in the rain to get the whole thing up over the course of two days.


  

The yurt was manufactured by the Colorado Yurt Company, who cut all the canvas and wood beforehand.  They also sent up Jared, one of their employees, who was fantastic.  He's set up over 50 yurts already, but also had experience working with construction neophytes like us.  He somehow managed to strike a balanced between being an efficient worker and a patient teacher -- without him we'd probably still be trying to set it up!

The first day we installed the doors, set up the lattice, and erected the center support beam.  The next day, we installed the roof beams and wrapped the canvas.  The whole thing only took about 13 hours all together, and it looks huge and really cozy.  Diana and Jerry still have a lot of finishing work to do, and I can’t wait to see the final product!